The End with a new Beginning
by mrs.vienna
Summary: Alternate ending of Sparkhouse, a modern Wuthering Heights – inspired BBC TV series. I love the movie "Sparkhouse" starring Richard Armitage as John Standring, but I wished always for a slightly changed ending. So I have decided to write something like that.


**The End with a new Beginning**

"Stop it - Stop it!", shouted Carol angrily.

The fight between her new husband John and Andrew, her former boyfriend, started a few minutes before. Carol were more and more worried about them. At that moment Andrew hit John with a rock on the head. In a hurry Carol ran into the farmhouse to fetch the rifle. John sat upon Andrew and raised his fist to punch him when she came back.

"Stop it!", cried Carol again and turned the weapon against John. "Go away from him!"

"Just be careful what you do with that!", John yelled back.

Once again Carol repeated loudly, "Go away from him!"

"He started it!", John answered brusquely.

"Yeah, and now I have to finish it! Go away from him. Shift!" Bit by bit Carol became impatient.

John released Andrew, and turned his back to him. Andrew jumped after him to attack John again. At that point Carol shot into the sky. Both men leaped away. John tumbled behind Carol. Andrew stood in front of her. Now she raised the gun towards Andrew and told him, "Get into the car and go home!"

"Not without you. You can, come on Carol. If we don t do it now we never will!", demanded Andrew and tried to persuade her to leave John.

In a strained voice Carol said, "Go home to your wife and your babe, Andrew. They need you and love you. I don t need you and I don t want you. And what is more important I don t love you anymore! That love died the day in Halifax when you didn't come to marry me. Now I have my own little family with John and Lisa. John was always there for me when you were not. He cared for me, helped me, protected me and stood by my side. I feel safe with him. He is my anchor. John loves me unconditional. Leave us alone. Go back to your wife. Stay away from us. If you ever try again to hurt or injure John I will make sure that you have hell to pay for it. I can' t lose him!"

Carol turned away and abandoned him. She went to John to help him. They went into the house without a glance back to Andrew. There she tended to his injuries. Inside they heard the loud slamming of the car door, and the spinning wheels when Andrew drove away. Carol lead John to a stool in the kitchen and brought a bowl of water and a clean towel to wash his wounds. John seemed to be frozen. His face was motionless. Carol opened his overall, his shirt and slipped it down his shoulders. There were bruises all over, beginning to colour. His head had a deep cut at the hairline. Dry and fresh blood was all over his face. Suddenly Carol began to weep. Her tears grew to uncontrolled sobs.

She stammered bewildered, "He tried to kill you! I was so frightened. I cannot risk to lose you."

The thought was unbearable for her. She struggled to calm down. Her hands began to wash him automatically. John awakened from his state of shock.

He had to ask her, "Carol, what you have said to Andrew. Is it true?" His voice his sounded insecure.

"Yes, John", she answered earnestly, "I haven t realized it before, but it is. I cannot explain my feelings. The last month with you, the arrangements for our wedding, it was special for me. I want that this marriage is well-working and to be a happy one. To make it work I have to tell you the truth. I know now, no more secrets. Please hear me out. Don t interrupt me, it s more than difficult for me."

She took a deep breath. Her eyes were filled with tears.

Finally she told him, "Andrew is not Lisa s dad. I was rapped. My dad fathered Lisa. Lisa is my daughter and my sister. I never had sex with Andrew. You are the only one I have had willingly slept with. I am glad that you are the one and not Andrew. Please believe me."

John was shocked and very angry about her father. He did not know what he would have done to him, if he had known it before. Hundreds of thoughts and pictures mingled in his mind. Some memories suddenly became aware. He wished he had known it. He wished he hat protected her. Carol looked fearful to him. Would he leave her like Andrew before because of her dirty secret. John embraced her, carefully and tenderly.

"Oh Carol", he sighed.

They embraced a long time until he said to her, "Carol, I will never leave you. I love you! It wasn t your fault, it was his."

For Carol, it felt as if a tight band around her heart fall apart and a big weight was lifted from her shoulders. She felt free, calm and safe for the first time since she was a little child.

"John, the thought of losing you scares me. Please, we have to go to the hospital. I want to be sure that you will be alright", urged Carol.

Carol wrote a short note for Lisa that she and John were at the hospital and left it at the kitchen table. Lisa would found it when she came home from school.

At the hospital the physician checked John and ordered an scan of his head. John had a broken rip, bruises and the cut at his hairline had to be stitched.

In the meantime Lisa had found the note at Sparkhouse farm. It was already evening as the phone rang.

"Sparkhouse farm, Lisa Bolton", she answered the phone.

"Hello Lisa, here is Mr Lawton. Is Andrew Lawton, my son there?", Mr Lawton asked her.

"No, Mr Lawton", said Lisa surprised.

"Can you give me Carol, please?", he questioned her.

She replied eagerly, "She is not at home. She is with John at the hospital."

"What happened Lisa?", said Mr Andrews curiously.

"I don t know, Mr Lawton. I have no clue", was her only reply.

"Thank you, Lisa", he said and rang off.

The Lawton's missed Andrew since a couple of hours. His wife Becky received a worrisome phone call from a drunken Andrew one hour ago. Her worries increased alarmingly. Andrews father had already searched in the neighbourhood. They had called on all friends and nobody had a hint where Andrew could be. Carol was their last hope. After the phone call at Sparkhouse Mr Lawton dialed the number of the local hospital and asked after Carol Standring, former Bolton. Only minutes later she was at the line.

"Carol, have you seen Andrew?", asked Mr Lawton.

"Yes, he was at Sparkhouse this afternoon. He wanted to persuade me to leave with him. After I rejected him, he attacked John. He tried to kill John, twice! First with a shovel and later he hit a big rock at Johns head" , spat Carol hateful.

"Oh, my God, Carol! What is with John?", asked Mr Lawton anxious.

"His head is to be scanned at the moment. I don t know more. I hope he will be right". Carol began to cry.

"I am so sorry, Carol, and I pray for John. Carol, have you any idea where Andrew can be?", asked Mr Lawton.

"I don t care about Andrew. I have other worries", she said in a low voice.

"Carol, please ?", he begged.

"Maybe at the old ruin, Mr Lawton", answered Carol before she rang off.

"Thank you, Carol" whispered Mr Lawton. He chased to his car and drove with the most possible speed to the old ruin in the moor, but in the end he was too late. His son Andrew was dead. Andrew had slashed his wrists.

At the hospital the examination of Johns head was finished. The neurologist told Carol and John that fortunately John had not any head damage except the cut at his hairline. His broken rip was bandaged, his cut stitched and for the bruises they received an ointment. Carol embraced John relieved . She lifted her chin and slowly she gave John the first kiss which she started by herself.

It was a horrible day, but for John it was a day with one of the happiest moments in his life, perhaps a turning point. Eventually he looked positive into his future with Carol and Lisa. He knew it would not be easy, but it was a beginning.


End file.
